Lancers Forced to Settle for State Runnerup Again

UNCASVILLE, CT - The odds were long for Notre Dame-Fairfield to emerge victorious in its Class M boys basketball championship game matchup with top-seeded Sacred Heart, and by the end of the first quarter, the odds were insurmountable.

Auburn-bound Mustapha Heron scored the first five points en route to a game-high 32, leading the high-powered Hearts to a 101-49 victory and its third straight state title.

Sacred Heart had won the Class S championship the previous two seasons.

By the time Thomas Gerling drained a three-pointer to get Notre Dame on the board, the Lancers were already down by double digits against the juggernaut from Waterbury.

Sacred Heart raced to a 32-10 lead after one quarter and led 58-26 at halftime, long erasing any doubt as to the eventual outcome.

Heron had 26 points at halftime, equal to the Lancers' total. Tyrn Flowers also had double figures by intermission, on his way to a total of 19.

Five Hearts wound up in double figures; Courie Stevenson had 13, Charles Fisher 12 and John Riddick 10.

Noreaga Davis led Notre Dame with 14 points, while Anthony Mongillo had 12. Gerling pulled down eight rebounds.

The Lancers wound up with a 21-4 record.

Photo credits: Tim Jensen